The Rationalist Society of Australia has sought confirmation from the new Minns government on whether it will continue to segregate public schoolchildren along religious lines through the Special Religious Education (SRE) program.

In a letter to the New South Wales education minister Prue Car, RSA president Meredith Doig has also asked what the state government will do to ensure creationism is not taught in public schools. 

Dr Doig urged Minister Car to take the opportunity to end religious-based segregation once and for all in New South Wales public schools, and return precious learning time to the qualified, professional teachers

“Far from giving parents ‘choice’, the SRE program leaves tens of thousands of parents with no choice but to have their child’s public school education disrupted at the behest of religious interests,” she wrote.

“Now as education minister, can you confirm whether the Minns Labor government will end its support for segregating children in public schools along religious lines through the SRE program?”

In January this year, the RSA wrote to the then education spokesperson for Labor, Ms Car, and multiculturalism spokesperson, Steve Kamper, expressing disappointment that both had attended an event framed as “celebrating” SRE and the “choice” that it offered parents. 

In that letter, Dr Doig also called on NSW Labor to commit to removing SRE from the state’s public schools if it were to win government at the March election. However, the RSA has not received a response to that letter.

In February, the RSA also alerted the Liberal government and the Labor opposition to the discovery of creationist teaching materials being used in the SRE program.

In the new letter to Minister Car, Dr Doig noted that teaching of the creationist myth appeared to be widespread in public schools under the guise of SRE.

“We have since learned from Monash University academic Dr Jennifer Bleazby that creationism is ‘common’ in religious instruction materials in public schools across Australia, including in New South Wales.

“Minister, what will the Minns government do to ensure creationism is not taught in the public school classrooms of New South Wales?”

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Image: Prue Car (Facebook)

Letter to Minister Car, 8 May 2023

Dear Minister Car,

Congratulations on your re-election, Labor’s election to government and your appointment as Minister for Education.

I’m writing to you on behalf of the Rationalist Society of Australia regarding the letter we sent to you earlier in the year about Special Religious Education (SRE). Disappointingly, we did not get a response to that letter. And so we ask:

Now as education minister, can you confirm whether the Minns Labor government will end its support for segregating children in public schools along religious lines through the SRE program?

Will the Minns Labor government ensure the integrity of the principle of secularism in public school education and treat SRE as an elective for those who want it by moving it to out-of-school hours?

Far from giving parents ‘choice’, the SRE program leaves tens of thousands of parents with no choice but to have their child’s public school education disrupted at the behest of religious interests.

We urge you now as minister to take the opportunity to end religious-based segregation once and for all in New South Wales public schools and return precious learning time to the qualified, professional teachers.

Creationism in public schools

Minister, as you know, religious missionaries are teaching creationism in New South Wales public schools under the guise of SRE.

This is at odds with the state’s official science curriculum. A notice from the New South Wales Department issued in 2009 said that if creationism and intelligent design were taught “as part of any school-based program,” it must be made clear to students that they were “not scientific, nor evidence-based”.

In February, we asked then-minister Sarah Mitchell whether it was acceptable for the creationist myth to be smuggled into public schools under the guise of the SRE program.

We have since learned from Monash University academic Dr Jennifer Bleazby that creationism is “common” in religious instruction materials in public schools across Australia, including in New South Wales.

Minister, what will the Minns government do to ensure creationism is not taught in the public school classrooms of New South Wales?

Sincerely,

Dr Meredith Doig,

President, Rationalist Society of Australia